Lunar Meteorite: Northwest Africa 16008

from The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 112

Northwest Africa 16008 (NWA 16008)

(Northwestern Africa)
Purchased: 2022 February
Mass: 251 g (4 pieces)

Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)

History: Purchased by Kahled Zad in February 2022 from a dealer in Ouargla, Algeria, and subsequently acquired by Wei Jiang in 2022.

Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS, and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of angular mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, low-Ca pyroxene and augite, together with some polymineralic troctolitic and gabbroic lithic clasts, in a fine grained matrix containing kamacite and troilite. The mean grainsize of mafic silicates is ~100 µm.

Geochemistry: Anorthite (An_95.6-96.6Or_0.3-0.2, N = 5), olivine (Fa_22.5-26.7, FeO/MnO = 73-90, N = 5), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs_15.1-23.3Wo_3.1-4.5, FeO/MnO = 54-63, N = 3), pigeonite (Fs_20.5Wo_17.8, FeO/MnO = 46), augite (Fs_10.6-12.0.7Wo_41.9-40.2, FeO/MnO = 33-38, N = 2).

Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).

Specimens: 23.8 g in the form of a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with Mr. Wei Jiang.

Randy Says…

I have not studied Northwest Africa 16008.

More Information

Meteoritical Bulletin Database

NWA 16008